


Shadows in The Snow

by lunettawolf321



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, LinkedUniverse - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Blood, Cold Water Shock, Concussions, Fighting, Frostbite, Gen, Hypothermia, Injury, Linked Universe, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), LinkedUniverse, Magic, Mentions of Death, Monsters, Swearing, This is a lot of Tags, Worry, cursing, please tell me if i forgot something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-01-23 06:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21315598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunettawolf321/pseuds/lunettawolf321
Summary: Trapped on a frozen mountain in the midst of a blizzard and surrounded by monsters, the heroes have only one option. Survive.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 298





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda series and the wonderful Linked Universe AU is by Jojo56830.

The path they walk on is nestled deep in the forest. Creeping tree roots and tripping vines crisscross over the worn ground. The dense canopy overhead is heavy with verdant leaves and it casts a sleepy shadow over the area. The little light that does manage to slip through shines in soft speckles along the heroes bodies and glints off the polished armor of their leader. The soft songs of whippoorwills dance above them. It should be calm and peaceful, and yet...

A cold chill of unease trickles down Legend's spine and solidifies into a knot of tension when he sees the sharp flat edge of a new portal peeking out from behind of the thick, gnarled trunk of a tree. He feels it’s twisted energy pulsating in the air. Under the thick wool of his tunic, goosebumps prickle along his neck and arms. A vile tangy stench drifts in the air; smelling like food left out to spoil underneath a blazing sun. The odor sticks to the back of Legend's throat, making him nearly gag as they draw closer. He swears he can still hear echoes of whispered spellwork, feel the words buzzing in his ears and making them itch. Warriors anxiously tugs at the thin, cobalt loops that dangle from his ears, telling Legend he is not the only one feeling the effects from the wall of magic. 

Goddesses above, he hates these things. 

There’s a collective groan from his comrades as they stop mere feet from the portal and Wind actually throws his head back to let out an annoyed whine. 

“Again? But we just got to this Hyrule three days ago. I don’t wanna switch yet!”

Some of the older boys laugh, they can’t help but find Wind’s more childish moments endearing. Four claps the young hero on the shoulder, his ever-present patient smile stretched across his face. Legend’s always found his short friend’s calm demeanor just a little irritating, which is why he loves to tease him. It’s almost as fun as trying to get a rise out of Warriors. He knows it’s been a good day when he’s gotten either one of them blustering and angry. 

“I don’t think we get a choice in the matter.” Four says, grinning when Wind pouts, “But if it’s any consolation, with the way these portals are appearing so often now we’re bound to end up here again soon.”

‘Here’ would be Hyrule’s Hyrule, and Legend has been so mind-numbingly bored the past few days he wants to skip he’s so happy to be leaving. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with his friend’s home, it’s just with the constant attacks from monsters, (day and night mind you) the last three days have been nothing but a repetition of fight, walk, fight, walk, try to sleep, nope time to fight some more, and walk again. 

Legend hates it when days start to look the same. It’s why he sometimes sleeps in when he's supposed to be apprenticing with the blacksmith, or why half the time he never listened to his Uncle. If he’s getting yelled at that day, he at least knows something interesting is going to happen. 

He’s happy today has finally caught his attention. 

The gate of swirling purple and black magic appearing means they’ll be dropped in another time and another Hyrule. So far they’ve been to Hyrule’s, Time’s, Wild’s, and even Legend’s. Wind has complained several times about wanting to go to his home, and Sky tends to get mopey and distant if you mention Skyloft. Legend hopes they’ll be going somewhere new this time. Preferably a Hyrule with fewer monsters. 

“I’ll go first,” he volunteers. The others nod their heads,expecting it since he normally does. He steps forward, hand outstretched. It’s a habit now, to let the magic twine itself around his fingers before actually walking through it. Legend knows magic this powerful and dark can be extremely volatile. If something was going to go wrong, he’d much rather lose a thumb or something than die because he couldn’t wait the few seconds the gate needed to adjust to being touched. 

Once he’s sure the portal has settled again, he takes a deep breath and walks through. Walking through a magic door to another world is definitely on his top ten list of things he hates the most. It's like slogging through swamp water, thick and dirty. His feet are heavy like they’re stuck in the mud and the energy of the gate presses down on him, making it nearly impossible to breathe. He imagines himself trying to swim upstream with his legs chained to rocks below, rapids splashing in his face and filling his mouth with water and choking him. A morbid thought that he could drown in here, that he could be stuck in this in-between forever, crosses his mind. Legend shoves that thought as far back in his brain as possible. He knows it’s dangerous to panic and get distracted when you’re walking through a portal like this. The magic will try to pull you under, to make you part of it. If he didn’t let the cracks into Lorule do it, he sure as hell wasn’t going to let this dark gate do him in. 

There’s a few more seconds of unbearable pressure. Legend's lungs are burning from lack of oxygen. Then, he is bursting through, gasping at fresh, chilled air and blinking away the blinding light of the magic that expels him. 

He is not prepared to find himself shoved into knee-deep snow. 

Legend swears so loudly it echoes around him. He stumbles forward as he tries to get his bearings, only for his left foot to get trapped in the frigid white powder. He gives a rather embarrassing shriek as his boot becomes filled with icy flakes and in his haste to pull his leg out of the hole it’s stuck in, he trips over himself and falls on his rear end. 

“Son of a bitch!” He curses as the bottom of his tunic is quickly soaked through. He scrambles to his feet, the sudden cold from his snow covered clothes sending a chill over every inch of his body. Once he’s standing, he tucks his fingers under his armpits to warm them.

Din’s fucking sake is it cold here. 

He hears the portal activate again, half intelligible spell words floating across the air. Soon he watches, half amused and half sympathetically, as his friends are pushed from the gate in groups of two and three. Each reaction to their sudden wintry surroundings gets more hilarious than the last and Legend thinks getting to see them is more than worth the risk of going through the portal first. Wind latches on to Warriors as soon as his feet hit the frozen land, his uncovered calves unprotected from the dense powder. Four squawks a rather impressive curse about someone named Vaati’s saggy balls when he trips and falls head first into the snow. The little hero manages to catch himself on his forearms before his face smashes into the ground, but Legend winces as freezing flakes cover and soak through the Smithy’s vibrant tunic. 

Time reaches down to help pull Four to his feet. The small boy mumbles a thanks as he brushes snow from his clothes, shivering uncontrollably. 

“W-where are we?” Four asks the group through chattering teeth. 

Everyone takes a look around. 

The few evergreens that dot the area look like frosted crystals perched on wooden stands that are black from the wet snow blowing through the air. The trees lead down to a wide, half-frozen lake. The water is steel gray and floating on top are platforms made of solid ice. They vary in size, ranging all the way from a few feet to roughly the length of a horse drawn carriage. The land that surrounds the lake is covered by fresh, white snow that stretches untouched towards the base of the mountainside. The mountains, which stand tall and strong like guardians watching over their home, are a somber slate color. The sky has seemed to disappear, instead there is nothing but endless gray swirling above as fat flakes fall heavily towards the earth. It gives this place a strange, enchanted feeling. 

Legend would think it’s weirdly beautiful if he wasn’t so damn cold. 

A shiver racks it’s way down him, causing a twinge of pain to shoot through his lower back. His left foot and the back of his thighs are already going numb from his cold, wet clothing. He sees Warriors glance his way so he tries his best to force the shivers away. Legend is not in the mood to be babied right now. 

“I think this is my Hyrule,” Twilight says. He’s pulled the hood of his pelt up so he’s one of the few heroes who looks even remotely warm. “We’re on Snowpeak Mountain right now and across that lake is Zora’s Domain.”

“Should we head that way, then?” Time asks. 

“Definitely. There’s no where else to go here really, besides the old mansion ruins, and that’s further up the mountain. Our best bet would be to camp out in the Domain and figure out our plan from there.”

The heroes agree and set off in the direction Twilight points them. Time insists the ranch hand take the lead, so they walk in a single file towards the icy lake. Twilight does his best to carve a path with his steps. It’s difficult due to how deep the snow is. It comes up to Four mid-thigh in the worst parts. Wild tries his best to help his mentor out. He’s used his odd slate to change into a warm, fur and feather lined cream-colored tunic and heavy brown snow boots. Wild stomps down the snow as he walks to keep the others from slipping on the slush. Legend appreciates this. While his Pegasus boots are great for speed and charging across a short distance, they are horrible in the snow. He can’t count how many times he’s slipped because of poor traction, and since he’s already fallen once today, he’s thankful for anything that will keep him standing. 

When they get to the lake, Twilight pairs everyone off so they can go across in groups. He explains how it’s safer, because if you fall in someone will be there to help you get out of the freezing water if you can't to do it yourself. Legend watches as Twilight takes Four and Wind across the lake. They take it slow, with Twilight showing them the best platforms to use and the two youngest heroes carefully walking hand-in-hand to better keep their balance. Once they’re safely across, Time sends Warriors and Wild. It doesn’t take as long for the two of them to make it over, it seems Wild has some experience walking on ice. When they finally do reach the bank on the other side, the old man motions for Legend to start heading over with Hyrule. 

Hyrule goes first because the first platform takes a running leap to get to. When Twilight showed them, he said the best way was to outstretch your arms when you land, to help balance yourself. Hyrule does this with ease, a huge grin on his face when he slides to a stop. He looks back at Legend, encouragement in his dark blue eyes. 

“C’mon! It’s easier than it looks,” the brunette calls. 

Legend takes a few steps back to give himself more room to run. His left foot, now the coldest part of his body though not by much, feels like it’s being stabbed with pins and needles. It’s making it a little difficult to walk, but he’s dealt with a lot worse on his adventures so there’s no point complaining. He waits another few seconds to build up his nerve, before finally sprinting forward and jumping towards the platform. 

Legend knows he’s messed up as soon as his feet are off the ground. He’d pushed off with his left foot; he’d meant to use his right but of course he forgot at the last moment. A shot of pain had burned through his foot and up his calf when he’d put pressure on it to make the jump and Legend had instinctively tried to stop himself. This means that he is almost too short on his leap to where Hyrule stands. Panic floods him when he realizes there is a very good chance he is going to stumble back into the freezing water, so Legend does the only thing he can think of. When his right boot hits the ice he uses what little momentum he has to dive forward. Legend bellyflops onto the platform, his chin smacking hard against the ground. He slides a few feet forward before being stopped by a hand roughly grabbing his tunic. 

“Are you alright?” Hyrule asks, the worry making his voice rushed and high pitched. Legend groans and rubs his scraped jaw. 

He suddenly wishes they were back in the other Hyrule, fighting infected monsters. 

“Legend?” Time calls. 

“M’f-fine,” he grumbles through a shiver. The ice is colder than the snow and Legend can feel the chill seeping in through the front of his tunic. Hyrule offers him a hand, so he takes it and pulls himself back onto his feet. They take their time with the remaining platforms. Hyrule goes first instead of them jumping together like the others did to be there in case Legend nearly falls in again. Legend is grateful for his friend’s concern, but he’s also a little embarrassed he’s the only one to have any problems walking on the ice. When they finally make it over, he’s immediately bombarded with questions. 

“Are you alright?” 

“You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

“How come you fell?”

Legend ignores them all and turns to watch Time and Sky cross. 

The remaining two heroes make their way over with ease. Sky seems to be enjoying himself, he grins like a kid in a sweets shop every time he glides across the ice. Time turns to Legend as soon as his feet hit the snowbank. 

“Are you—“

“I’m fine,” Legend sighs, annoyed. A gust of wind blows through, highlighting every freezing spot on his body. He shoves his fingers under his armpits again and tries with all his might to hold off the shivers he can feel coiling in his back. Four shakes uncontrollably just a few feet away. “ I s-slipped when I landed. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Time shares a glance with Warriors, who from the look on his face is desperately fighting off the urge to motherhen the colder ones of the group, but drops the issue. The heroes follow Twilight up a steep hill. There are several high ledges on this path the group has to scramble onto since the rocks are slippery from slush. 

The wind is blowing harder now and the snow is falling faster, so it’s hard to see where they’re going. Twilight calls back to tell everyone how much father the Domain is, but Legend can barely hear him. He squints through the snow and just barely makes out Four tucked up against Wild, the latter wrapping part of his cloak around the Smithy’s shoulders. Hyrule is ahead of Legend, and he keeps glancing back to make sure no one has gotten separated. Legend wants to laugh at this, because how often does that boy go wondering off on his own, but he’s so cold he can’t bring himself to do it. He thinks maybe he’ll just tease him about it later, when they’re finally sitting in front of a warm campfire away from this hellish mountain. 

Hylia, does he hope that’s soon. 

A loud, angry swear is carried back on the wind so Legend cranes his neck to look at where most of the others are gathered at the top of the hill. He picks up the pace the last few feet, finally reaching his friends just in time to see Twilight kick at a pile of snow covered rubble. 

“W-what’s going o-on?” He asks.

“The path is blocked!” Wind exclaims. The sailor has apparently decided the freezing weather around them is too much, because he is now being held off the ground by Warriors, piggyback style. His hands are wrapped around the Captain’s shoulders, fingers tucked under the ends of his friend’s blue scarf. 

“What?” Legend looks to Twilight for confirmation, even though the pile of rocks in front of them is answer enough. He just so desperately wants it to not be true. Twilight stares at where there should apparently be a path, fists clenched tightly by his sides. 

“It looks like it caved in somehow,” the fur-clad hero mutters. 

“So what do we do? Should we try and clear it?” Warriors asks. 

“Are you c-crazy? It would take for-forever to clear that in this weather!” Legend has given up on hiding his shivers now. He’s so done with the situation. He’s freezing, he’s wet, and he’ll be lucky if he doesn’t end up with frostbite on his foot. He just wants to be out of the snow. “Isn’t there a cave or s-something we can camp in? At least for the ni-night?”

“Um...” Twilight looks back towards the direction they came from, eyes narrowed in thought. 

“How cold are you?” Warriors suddenly asks. Legend looks at him in confusion. 

“Who?”

“You, idiot!” The captain adjusts his grip on the youngest hero before looking closely at his shivering friend. “You look nearly frozen solid, why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m f-fine,”

“No, you’re not. Get my cloak out of my bag and put it on. It’ll at least make you a little warmer.”

“I don’t need your c-cloak!” Legend argues. At that moment his whole body is racked with a massive shiver. 

“Ha! Yeah, right. You wouldn’t need my cloak if you’d listened to me the last time we were replenishing our supplies. I told you, you need to get something warmer to wear besides that damn tunic!”

“My t-tunic is fine!”

“It is not. Just put on my cloak,”

“No.”

“Legend, stop acting like a child and-“

“Oh, kiss my ass Warriors, you’re not the boss of me!”

“Kiss- What!”

“Oh, for the love of Nayru, would you two stop!” Twilight roars. Legend and Warriors both snap their mouths shut and turn wide-eyed towards the ranch hand. “I can’t focus with your arguing. If you want me to think of somewhere for us to go, I need you to shut up for just two seconds!” 

“Everyone, keep calm, please. I know we’re all on edge right now because of this snowstorm but fighting among ourselves isn’t going to solve anything.” Time says, sagely. He clasps his protégé on the shoulder. “Now breathe, and think. It doesn’t have to be anywhere large. We just need shelter from the storm. I fear it may be turning into a blizzard.”

Twilight takes a few deep breathes, the air misting every time he exhales. 

“There should be a small cave about a ten minute climb up the mountain, on the other side of the lake. I found it one day when I was hiking up to the old mansion, after my journey had ended. It’s not very big, but there should be room for all of us and a campfire.”

“Then it should work just fine.” Time motions for the group to start heading back down the path. “Quickly, now.”

They hurry back down the mountain, slipping and sliding in their wet, snow covered boots. Wild gives his cloak to Four, refusing the blacksmith’s demands for them to wear it together when he notices how badly their little friend is shivering. Even Time is beginning to feel the effects of the winter storm; he keeps his head bowed and shoulders hunched as the wind roars around them, grimacing whenever a particularly strong gust bombards them with the icy flakes. 

Wind slips off Warriors’s shoulders when they reach the lake, stumbling a little in the deep snow. 

“Should we go over in groups again?” He asks. 

“No, I think we should go over together,” Twilight answers. He studies the lake. Legend assumes he’s trying to determine which path is the safest to take with such a large party. “The longer we’re out here the more dangerous it is.”

Once he’s decided which direction he wants to lead them, Twilight jumps onto the first platform. Four and Wind go next, and once they’ve safely made the second leap, Sky starts to make his way over, followed by Time. Warriors tries to make Legend go next, but Legend barks at the older boy to move his ass instead. Hyrule rolls his eyes at the two of them and goes, with Wild quickly leaping onto the ice a moment later. Legend and Warriors glare at each other, a silent argument over who should follow their quiet friend. Legend knows he’s being a little ridiculous, but he doesn’t want the captain fussing over him just because he’s cold. Warriors finally gives in and starts across the platforms when Time shouts at them for falling behind. 

The second time across the lake isn’t that bad. Legend still can’t really feel his foot, or his fingers at this point, but there’s minimal slipping on the ice so he counts it as a win. He’s almost to the other side when he hears a shout (and was that a growl?) from where most of his friends are waiting on the snowbank. 

Legend peers through the snow whipping around him. He can make out Warriors and Wild on the ice just a little ways in front of him, each on their own platform and separated from him by one only a few feet wide. He can tell that neither one is moving forward, but he can’t see why. 

“What’s going on?” He shouts. 

He sees Warriors turn to answer him. He sees the glint of a blade grasped tightly in the captain’s hands. He sees worry flash in the bright blue eyes of his friend. 

He does not see the giant white wolf leaping at him until it is too late. 

Two huge paws, each roughly the size of his head, slam into his chest. The claws are sharp and they dig through his tunic, ripping the fabric and leaving deep scratches. Legend is shoved to the ground from the force of the collision. The great beast falls with him, using the hero’s stomach like a spring board to leap away before it becomes too jarred by the fall. 

Legend wheezes through the pain of having all that weight on his middle. He doesn’t have long to recover, he can hear the wolf’s claws scraping across the ice as it turns back towards him. Legend rolls over so he can push himself to his knees. He draws his sword and shoves it down into the platform, using it as leverage to hoist himself to his feet. The beast growls at him, deep and guttural, as he yanks his blade free. Legend slides his shield onto his arm as the wolf stalks slowly around him in a half circle. 

There’s a tense moment where they just stare at each other, the beast’s gleaming red eyes bright and menacing against the backdrop of the gray and white snowstorm raging around them. It’s a huge wolf. It stands nearly as tall as Legends chest, with a long snout and thick fur. Legend squeezes the hilt of his sword. His fingers are numb from the cold, so he’s worried about losing his grip. Also, he’s never fought beasts like this before, so he has no idea how the wolf will attack. Legend just wants to get this fight over with as quickly as possible. 

The wolf waits another moment, and then charges forward. It’s surprisingly agile on the ice. At the last moment before slamming into the hero, it leaps high into the air over Legend’s head. He stumbles away before the beast can attack him from behind, feet nearly slipping out from under him. Legend spins around to slash at the wolf, but it dodges to the side. It growls and swipes at him, so he smacks his shield into its leg. It’s paw bounces off the metal shield, which seems to aggravate the beast, because it snarls at Legend. It charges towards him again, but this time he is prepared. When the wolf leaps over him, he thrusts his sword upwards. He manages to cut a deep gash into the wolf’s side. Deep red blood splatters down onto Legend’s shoulder and the front of his tunic and when the wolf lands he sees it drip onto the icy platform. 

Thank fucking Farore, they’re not infected. 

The wolf bares it’s teeth at him. Legend adjusts his stance, preparing himself for when it charges again. He can hear the sounds of his comrades fighting behind him. Wild’s and Warriors’s voices are the easiest to distinguish, so Legend figures they got caught battling on the ice just like he did. The wolf growls as it stalks a little closer. Legend grips his sword so tightly, it pains his chilled fingers. He wants to make sure this beast is dead with his next strike. 

Legend’s focus is broken by a deep rumbling and an array of panicked shouts coming from the bank the majority of his friends are currently fighting on. For one horrible moment he thinks there might be an avalanche, but Hyrule’s shout let’s him know something else is going on. 

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?” 

Legend instinctively turns to see what his friend is yelling about. Through the snowstorm, he spots a massive _thing_ getting to its... well, feet he supposes. It appears to be a living rock. There’s no head, at least not one with a face or eyes, just an enormous snow covered boulder. Smaller chunks of rock at its sides and bottom connect to what Legend can only assume are its hands and feet, though there is nothing distinguishing itself as fingers or toes, just more stone. Every inch of it is covered in either ice or the wintery flakes it was previously buried in; except for a long black protrusion near the middle of its back that Legend can see gleaming with opals and sapphires even from this distance. 

He stares dumbfounded as the monster takes a few ground-quaking steps. The others carefully back away, swords and shields at the ready. The stone creature pauses for a moment, and then swings its giant arm down, smashing into the ground and sending up a burst of frozen slush. He watches his friends scramble away, Wind and Four nearly tripping in the deep snow. 

“It’s a Frost Talus! Don’t touch it or it could freeze you!” Wild yells. 

_Shit,_ Legend thinks. If Wild is the one to recognize this monster, then it must be from his Hyrule. Which means the others need him over there to help fight it, not stuck on the ice battling stupid wolves. 

_Wait a minute..._

Legend whips his head back towards the beast he’s been fighting. He’s too late though, the wolf is already barreling forward, mouth wide open and razor sharp teeth ready to bite. It sinks into Legend’s right calf. He shrieks in pain and smacks the wolf over the head with his shield. This dazes the beast, but it still holds on. Legend flips the point of his blade towards the ground and shoves it into the wolf’s back. The canine releases its hold on his leg, howling miserably. He pulls the sword out and stabs it again, this time in the neck. There’s a sickening gurgle from the monster, and then it finally falls to the ground, dead. 

Legend stumbles backwards, tripping in his haze of pain and falling on his rear end onto the icy platform. He sets his blade down beside him and pulls his arm free of his shield. Legend tosses it to the side so he can gingerly grasp his wound. The blood is warm and sticky on his cold fingers and it smears over the top of his boots. Legend grits his teeth to stop from crying out when he accidentally brushes up against the worst part of the bite. 

“Are you okay?” He hears Warriors call from behind him, still fighting his own battle. Legend lets out a shuddering breath and looks over his shoulder at his friend. 

“N-not really,” he chokes out, “but I’ll deal with it. Just... kill that damn thing so you can help Wild. The others need him.”

Legend is panting now. He’s been injured more times than he can count on both hands, but this bite definitely takes the cake when it comes to pain. The punctures are across the top of his shin and calf and the skin is torn away from several of them. Legend tries to move his leg into a more comfortable position, but all that does is cause a wave of agony to shoot through him.

He looks over at his friends fighting the Talus to distract himself from his wound. Wind and Four are firing arrows at it from a safe distance away, though all their shots bounce pitifully off the monster’s stone body. Sky and Twilight are still preoccupied with the few remaining wolves that had originally attacked their group. Time and Hyrule are the ones trying to battle the Talus from up close. Neither of them seem to know what to do though, so they’re mostly dodging it’s giant fists as they try to think of a plan. 

There’s a horrible yelp from one of the other platforms. Warriors has finally finished off the monster he’s been fighting. The captain looks at him with concerned, wide eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but Legend interrupts him. 

“For Hylia’s sake, Warriors, go help Wild! I’ll be fine.”

Warriors looks like he wants to argue, but he eventually nods his head and hops over onto the icy platform Wild is fighting on. With the captain’s help, they quickly finish off the vicious wolf. Wild thanks him and then turns to help the others, pulling out his bow and some crimson magic-tipped arrows. 

“We have to melt the ice covering its body! Then we can finally attack the ore deposit on its back!” He calls to the group fighting on land. They look his way, thankful expressions on all their faces. 

Unfortunately, they are not the only ones to pay attention to the heroes still standing on the ice. 

Legend thinks, if the Talus had eyes (or visible ones at least, who knows with this weird creature) he’d be staring straight into them. The monster has stopped trying to squish his friends with its enormous fists and has now turned its body towards the lake. There’s a moment of calm where all he can hear is the wind howling around them. The Talus stands perfectly still, like a giant, poorly carved statue. Then, it brings its right arm back and swings it forward in a big arch, detaching its huge stone fist and hurling it at the platforms. 

“It’s attacking the ice! _Move!_” Wild screams. 

He and Warriors leap back onto the platform the captain had been fighting on, barely escaping being hit by the chunk of rock. The stone smashes into the ice, cracking it into pieces, the force of the blow sending large waves across the lake. Legend feels himself start to tip and slide as the platform he’s sitting on is rocked by the water. He sees a groove in the ice beside him a few inches deep and wide, so he grabs his sword with his left hand and digs the fingers of his right into the crack to stop from rolling into the water. For a few terrifying moments the ice tilts back and forth, until it finally settles, frigid water splashing up around him. He thinks he’s safe until he hears a shout from behind him. 

“_Legend!_”

He whips his head towards the bank just in time to see another stone fist flying towards him. It smacks into the ice a few feet from his injured leg. Legend screams as the force of the blow tips the platform up, splitting it down the middle and nearly flipping it over. Legend’s numb fingers slip away from the groove. He rolls down the ice, pain shooting through him. Just before he hits the water, he manages to flip his sword and stab it into the platforms edge. 

Legends legs and torso fall into the freezing water of the lake. It’s like ice has replaced the blood in his veins. The cold snakes it’s way through him, coiling his muscles so tightly he can’t move. His breath is stolen from his lungs and he’s suddenly choking. His fingers grip the hilt of his sword so tightly it’s surprising it doesn’t break. He gasps, trying to take in air, but nothing happens. 

_Why can’t he fucking breathe._

“Legend!” Wild yells. He sees his friend hopping onto the platform that separates Legend from the other two boys. “Don’t panic, I’m coming!”

Is he serious? How in Hyrule is he supposed to not panic when he’s so, so, so cold and he can’t. Freaking. Breathe!

“Legend, you need to relax!”

He wishes he could tell Wild he needs to shut up. 

Wild jumps onto his platform, slipping when the ice starts to give way from the large crack running down its center. He gets down on his hands and knees to better distribute his weight. 

“I’m coming to get you, but it’s going to take me a minute. I need you to relax and breathe.”

He _can’t_. 

“C’mon, Man. I know you can do it. Exhale.”

What? No. No, no, no. He needs to inhale. If he could just inhale then—

“_Legend!_ You’re in shock and it’s only going to get worse unless you listen to me. Please! Just exhale. I’ll do it with you.”

Wild lets out a slow, deliberate exhale. Legend wants to ignore him, but the panic rising in his chest is palpable and he’s worried it’ll drag him under if he doesn’t do something soon. So he tries it. Legend forces himself to exhale. It’s slow and shaking, but he manages to finally release the air he’d apparently taken in when he hit the water. He must have held his breathe without realizing it. 

“Good, that’s really good. Now inhale, nice and slow.”

Legend breathes in when Wild does. The effect is almost immediate. The tension in his chest is released and he no longer feels like something is stomping on his lungs. The two of them breathe in and out together while Wild slowly crawls his way over the damaged ice. Now that his mind isn’t so clouded from panic, Legend can feel just how cold he is. His body is shaking so violently he almost looses his grip on his sword. Wild talks to him in a calm voice after every breath, which helps him keep his focus on his friend and not on the frigid water slowly freezing him. 

Warriors’s frantic shout reminds them they have something else that needs worrying about. 

The Talus has decided to ignore the other heroes, who must have been distracting it while Wild tried to rescue him, and has launched another stone at their platform. It’s aim is a little off this time. Instead of hitting them, it smacks into the broken chunks beside them, sending up a spray of water and hunks of ice. The platform rocks violently back and forth and Legend watches for a few terrifying seconds as Wild scrambles to find purchase so he doesn’t join him in the lake. 

Legend has a moment of relief when it’s clear his friend is safe, and then he feels pain explode from his temple throughout his head and his world turns to black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Took forever to write, and by the time I finished it was huge! So enjoy this very long conclusion to Shadows in the Snow! :)

“No!” Wild shouts. Warriors feels his heart skip when the chunk of ice from the destroyed platform smashes into Legend’s temple. The boy’s head snaps to the side with such tremendous force the Captain is suddenly worried about possible damage to his neck. Legend’s tight grip on his sword is lost and he sinks into the water. Wild gasps and dives forward, catching himself on the orange blade as he reaches out to grab the unconscious boy. 

Warriors lets out a sigh of relief as the Champion clasps onto their friend’s tunic just moments before he fully slips under water. Wild heaves, pulling the waterlogged teen from the lake and back onto the platform. 

“Is he okay?” He shouts over the freezing wind whipping around them. 

“I-I don’t know. He’s pretty banged up. We need to get him someplace safe!” Wild calls back, looking over Legend’s many wounds. 

“How in Din’s name are we going to do that?” Warriors mumbles to himself. The rest of the heroes are still fighting the frost talus on the lake shore so they can’t help. Also, there’s no way Wild is going to be able to jump off the broken platform while carrying the other lad. They’re stuck here, in a blizzard, with their friend slowly freezing until they can think of any way out of this mess. 

A terrifying _boom_ shakes him from his thoughts. The boys on the ice turn at the noise, hearts jumping in fear, and see the talus stumbling around. It smashes face-first into the ground, snow and slush exploding into the air as it lands. Time scrambles up its side and starts hacking at the protrusion of ore on its lumpy head with his sword. Warriors stares in confusion, before he makes out Twilight standing with Wind and Four. It seems that he and Sky have finally finished off the last of the wolves and are now helping fight off the strange rock monster. The ranch hand is nocking an arrow onto his bow, but not just any arrow. Warriors can make out the round bag of explosives tied to the end even through the snowstorm raging around them. 

“The others can keep the talus busy with those bomb arrows. We need to get off the ice,” Wild shouts to him. 

Warriors shakes his head to bring his focus back to his friend. “How? I don’t know how to get you both onto dry land safely.”

He sees Wild ponder this, before the long-haired hero snaps his fingers in realization and reaches down to grab his slate. He gently sets Legend down to free his other hand and starts tapping away at the screen of the strange device. 

“I can make us a sort of bridge that you can climb across to grab Legend. You’ll have to pull him up onto it, but it should help us cross easily enough.”

“How are you gonna do that?” Warriors is looking back and forth from his friends on the ice to the ones on land. He’s terrified the talus will attack the platforms again and send both boys into the freezing lake. 

“My Cryonis rune. It can make pillars of ice that we can use to cross.”

“What?”

Wild holds the slate eye level and then taps at the screen. Warriors can’t help but jump back, stumbling on the slippery platform, as a bright blue pillar forms on top of the water right in front of him. It’s made of thick ice and is rectangular shaped, with strange light blue swirls decorating its sides. Warriors reaches out a hand to touch it, flinching a little at its freezing temperature. 

The Champion mumbles impatiently for a moment, before tapping at the screen again. Another pillar shoots up from the water right next to the first, only a few inches separating them, and then after another pause so does a third. Wild hooks the slate back onto his belt and then grabs Legend so he can slide the boy over to the pillar closest to their broken platform. 

“Climb up on them Warriors. You’ll have to come to me and pull Legend up. I can’t lift him onto the ice by myself.”

Warriors does as he’s told, carefully climbing onto the first pillar. It’s surprisingly easy to grab, considering it’s supposed to be made of ice, but he only slips once or twice before he’s at the top. He slowly walks over to the boys, nervously glancing back at the battle on the shore. The talus has stood up again, so he watches for a moment as Twilight shoots another explosive arrow at the beast. The boom echoes around them frighteningly. The monster stumbles around again, the blast having hit both its head and one of its legs, before it falls back into the snow. Warriors turns away when he sees Time start to climb back onto it. 

When Warriors reaches the edge of the third pillar, he gets down onto his knees and reaches for the unconscious hero. Wild hefts the boy up as much as he can. After a little struggling, the Captain is finally able to grab Legend under his armpits and pull. 

“_Fuck!_” He swears. He’s lifted the lad before, so he knows how heavy he is, but the combined dead weight of his unconscious body and his waterlogged clothes make the task of pulling him onto the pillar excruciating. Wild tries to help as much as he can, lifting the boy up by grabbing his legs. They heave together, nearly dropping Legend at one point, but then finally they get the teen up onto the ice with Warriors.

The Captain swallows roughly as he takes in the wounds along his friend’s chest, leg, and face. He pushes the panic to the side, he knows he can’t treat them here, and instead slides his arms under the boy's knees and back to carry him. He walks back to the first pillar he climbed up on. Wild climbs on right after he moves and follows him over. 

“Okay. I’ll climb down, and you hand Legend to me.” He says, already sliding off the pillar and onto the platform. Warriors readjusts his grip on his friend, and then slowly sinks to his knees. His breath is coming out in labored puffs and the muscles in his arms are burning as he hangs the unconscious boy over the edge of the pillar so Wild can grab him. His grip slips at the last second and Legend goes falling. He sees Wild brace himself as the boy’s body smacks him in the face and he’s shoved onto his rear end by the sudden extra weight. 

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Warriors apologizes as he looks at the two sprawled out on the platform. 

Wild sits up, rubbing at his nose. He turns Legend over to make sure he didn’t get hurt in the fall. “S’okay. We’re both fine.”

“LOOK OUT!” Hyrule suddenly screams. Warriors's head shoots up just in time to see that the talus was back on its feet and launching one of its stone fists at the pillars he’s standing on. He leaps, belly flopping onto the hard ice of the platform just as the fist smashes into the pillars, shattering them completely. The lake rocks viciously back and forth as the stone sinks into its depths. Warriors ignores the pain erupting in his middle as both he and Wild grab onto Legend so he isn’t rolled back into the freezing water. There’s another resounding _boom!_ Twilight must have fired another bomb arrow. 

Once the waves have settled enough, Wild pulls out his slate again to form new pillars, these one leading them to the safety of the shore. Warriors scrambles up the side of the closest one and then turns around like before to grab Legend. Wild pushes as Warriors heaves. The get him on top of the pillar in a matter of moments and then Wild climbs up as well. 

“Hurry,” the Champion pants, and the Captain sees he is also casting nervous glances towards the battle taking place barely thirty feet away. Warriors lifts Legend into his arms again, his biceps screaming, and walks carefully and quickly to the last pillar. Wild jumps down first, stumbling in the deep snow. He turns around to face Warriors. “Give him her—“

There’s a snarl, and then a wolf jumps out from the snowbank it had apparently been hiding in. It leaps at Wild, razor sharp teeth bared. The Champion spins on his heel, slipping his shield off just in time to smack the beast across the face with it. It lets out a pathetic whimper as it tumbles away. Wild draws his blade. The wolf stands to its feet, a deep guttural growl leaving its throat, before suddenly sprinting away. Wild and Warriors stare dumbfounded as the wolf disappears into the hazy white of the storm. 

“You don’t think it’s run off to get more of it’s pack, do you?” Wild asks putting away his weapons. 

“Knowing our luck? Of course it is.” Warriors grumbles. He falls down harshly onto his knees so he can start handing over Legend. The weight of his friend is starting to tire him out, but he knows he’ll have to push through it once they’re all safely on land, because he’s already decided he’ll be the one to carry the boy up the mountain. Wild comes forward, and this time they are able to pass the boy over without dropping him. Warriors jumps to the ground beside them, not even caring that he trips and falls into the snow. He’s already wet and cold from carrying his friend. 

There’s a final explosion, the sound ringing painfully in their pointed ears. Warriors watches as the stone beast begins to crumble, limbs falling apart and chunks of its head dropping to the ground, before suddenly exploding in a burst of magic. The others shove their way through the snow towards them, looking exhausted. Time is the first to reach him and Wild. He kneels down to check Legend’s wounds. 

“What happened to him?” The older man asks. 

“One of the wolves got him. And he was hit in the head by ice after that thing started attacking the platforms.” Warriors answers. 

“Dammit. How long was he in the water?”

“Not too long,” Wild says, “maybe five minutes at most, but the lake is freezing cold. I think he was going into shock from it before he got knocked out. We need to get him someplace warm, Time. Fast.”

“The cave,” Twilight says, squinting through the storm at the mountain. “It’s not too far from here.”

“You said it was a ten minute climb, right?” Warriors asks as he leans down in front of where Legend is propped up in Wild’s lap, back facing them. He motions for the Champion to move the teen towards him, so he can carry him piggyback. Wild does so, making sure that Legend is as secure as possible in the Captain’s grip. Warriors gets to his feet, grunting a little from the effort it takes to do so. He can feel Legend’s cold, wet clothes sticking to his back, blood and water quickly soaking through the fabrics of his tunic and scarf.

“It might be more because of the blizzard,” Twilight hesitates, “It’s... it’s been a while since I’ve been there. It might take me a bit to remember exactly where it is.”

“We don’t really have ‘a bit,’ we need to get Legend out of the cold. It doesn’t take long for hypothermia to set in.” Warriors knows he’s coming across a little harsh, but at the moment, he doesn’t really care. They can’t wander around in the cold forever, not with Legend freezing and bleeding and probably concussed. 

“Just lead the way, Twi’, I have faith we’ll find it.” Time says, motioning for the ranch hand to start moving. 

They follow Twilight up the steep mountainside. The blizzard roars around them, whipping their faces and bodies harshly with snow. It's getting harder to see, not only because of the white powder being blown about, but evening is slowly approaching. The world around them is darkening, the light from the setting sun unable to break through the clouds. Hyrule, Twilight, and Four pull out lanterns, but it does little to light their paths. Warriors is shivering, the combined cold of the body pressed against him and the storm chilling him to the bone. They walk for what feels like hours. Warriors thinks it certainly can’t have been just ten minutes. The farther up the mountain they go, the deeper the snow, so every step is becoming more and more difficult. 

“Are we almost t-there?” Sky wheezes through a shiver. 

“I...” Twilight looks around confused, hands grasped tightly to his fur hood to stop it from being blown off by the wind. There’s a sudden howl in the distance. The heroes all turn as one to stare off into the darkness. 

“Is that more wolves?” Wind yelps. 

“We need to get out of here before they catch our scent,”Twilight mumbles. The ranch hand turns to look at his friends. “Stay here. I’ll go and scout ahead for the cave. _Don’t move from this spot._ If you leave I might not be able to find you again. And be on the lookout for the wolf pack.”

Time nods his approval. “Don’t be gone too long. I don’t want to risk you getting hurt as well.”

Twilight gives him a thumbs up, and then moves forward without them. He hasn't gone far before he’s swallowed by the swirling white of the storm. They wait another fifteen minutes, according to the Champion’s slate, passing the time by huddling together for warmth and scanning their surroundings for any signs of hidden monsters. Warriors is in the middle, protected on all sides by his friends. He knows they’re trying to do all they can to keep Legend warm, but blocking the frigid wind and pressing up against them to share body heat isn’t helping much. Not when he’s still soaking wet, and bleeding, and being steadily coated by the snow falling from the sky. 

Warriors readjusts his grip. His arms are tiring from the heavy weight and a knot of pain is slowly forming in his back. He turns to their leader. “You don’t think Twi’ got lost, do you?”

“No, he should be back soon,” Time answers distractedly, eyes glued to the last place they saw the ranch hand. 

“He knows what he’s doing, he’ll get back to us in time.” Wild says. Warriors looks at him. The warm, cream colored tunic he’d changed into earlier is stained red with Legend’s blood. The Captain grimaces and looks away. 

“I hope so. The longer we stay out in the cold, the worse Legend is going to get.”

“I know, I know. But there’s nothing we can do until Twilight comes back for us. Just... try to keep you mind on other things.”

“Like what?”

“Well...” there’s another howl, closer this time. Wild stares off into the distance, frowning. “Um... what are we gonna tell Legend about his sword and shield when he wakes up?”

Warriors looks at the younger boy in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“We... left them in the lake.”

“Oh, son of a _bitch!_” The Captain curses, kicking at the snow. The movement makes him stumble, Legend’s weight throwing him off balance. Wild shoots out an arm to steady him. Warriors sighs. “Thanks. But anyway, we’ll just have to find a way to get them back once we’re off this mountain. Hylia save us if we can’t. Legend loves that shield. He’ll kill us if it’s gone for good.”

“Maybe Wind can fish it out?” The Champion jokes. 

Warriors lets out a small laugh. “Maybe.”

“Seriously though, I’ll try and think of something. Leave worrying about his sword and shield to me, okay?”

“Thanks.” The Captain smiles at the boy gratefully. 

“Guys, we’ve got c-company.” Four warns through a shiver. 

They all turn to see several pairs of gleaming red eyes staring at them through the storm. The others draw their swords, Time and Sky stepping in front of Warriors. The Captain knows he’s a sitting duck. He obviously can’t unsheathe his own blade, and he’s certainly not going to risk setting Legend down to fight. The others are going to have to protect them. 

Three huge white wolves jump out of the darkness, lunging for the heroes closest to them. Four rolls out of the way, the movement bungled by the deep snow. He stumbles back onto his feet, swiping his blade at the beast’s chest. The wolf easily dodges, a snarl ripping through its throat. 

Wind and Hyrule are also fighting. One wolf tries leaping over the Traveler, but he thrusts his blade upward at the perfect moment, stabbing the beast in its belly. A pathetic yelp leaves its lips as he swings his sword to dislodge the creature. It hits the ground harshly, sinking into the snow and turning it crimson. Warriors watches for any more movement, but there’s none. 

Wind is not having as much luck as his friend. The wolf he faces is swiping furiously at his shield, over and over again. The young sailor can’t seem to find an opening to attack. While he defends himself, Wild creeps up behind the wolf, steps somehow silent, even in the knee deep snow. Wind sees what the older boy is planning, so at a glance from his friend he smacks his shield into the beast’s paw mid-swipe, making it stumble back. While it’s distracted, Wild leaps forward and thrusts his sword into the back of its neck, killing it swiftly. 

Sky moves to help the Smithy with the remaining wolf. Warriors is thankful these last three are much easier to fight. He knows it’s because this time, the heroes aren't separated from each other. There’s a sick gurgle from the beast as the two boys finish the final monster. Time lowers his blade, letting out a relieved sigh as he turns to face the Captain. 

The Old Man’s eye widens suddenly in fear, and then a heavy weight slams into Legend and Warriors.

They fall into the snow, the teen slipping from his back and landing roughly. Warriors manages to catch himself on one hand so his face doesn't smash into the ground. He twists around, looking for what hit them. A fourth wolf looms over him, teeth bared. It stares him in the eye for one terrifying moment, before launching at him, jaw spreading wide so it can clamp down around the Captain’s throat. Warriors feels himself freeze, the panic turning his muscles to stone. 

A huge blade swings out of no where, slicing through the beast with ease. Warriors squeezes his eyes shut in disgust as blood splatters across his face. When he hears the thud of a body hitting the ground, he peers up through the darkness at Time, who’s furious face would be enough to kill all these monsters if they weren’t already dead.

“Are you all alright?” Their leader asks. 

“Y-yeah. Thanks for that.” Warriors says, wiping at his face. He sees Legend lying still in the snow. Panic burns through him again, this time lighting his veins with a fire that causes his heart to nearly burst out of his chest. He scrambles through the snow over to his unconscious friend. Legend is lying face down, the slush around him a pinkish color from his still bleeding wounds. Warriors rolls him over, checking for any new injuries. Thank Farore, there aren’t any, but Legend is now covered in another layer of freezing flakes. The Captain tries to dust his wet tunic off as best he can, but he knows it won’t do much to help. 

“Let’s get him off the ground.” Time says, leaning down to help Warriors lift the boy. They get the teen situated onto the Captain’s back again, just as the sound of crunching snow reaches their ears. 

Twilight appears out of the storm; cold, wet, and out of breath. The ranch hand sees the bodies of the wolves, eyes widening in shock. “I’m so sorry it took so long! I got attacked while looking for the cave by more of those wolves too. I tried to get back here as fast as I could.”

“It’s alright. You weren't injured, right? And did you find the cave?”

“No, no, I'm fine and yes. We’re pretty close to it actually.”

Time looks back at Legend’s pale form. “Then let’s hurry.”

They follow Twilight further up the mountain, moving as quickly as possible through the blizzard. The storm is raging harder, the snow even deeper here, so every step feels like their being weighed down by iron chains. Warriors muscles are burning and his limbs are going numb. He’s just about to ask how much farther their safe haven is, when he sees Wind point to a small, dark opening in the mountainside. 

They stumble into the cave, bodies shaking from the cold and breath coming out in exhausted puffs. Those holding lanterns set them down near the center of the small space. It looks maybe twenty feet wide, with large pieces of dark stone jutting out at odd angles all around its perimeter. Warriors kicks the snow from his boots and then hurries deeper into their shelter, away from the frigid wind roaring around the entrance. He slides Legend from his back, grimacing as the cold snakes through the now damp sticky material of his tunic. He hears Time barking orders at the others, telling Sky to start a fire and Hyrule to start gathering all the blankets. 

“Four, I want you sitting by this fire as soon as it’s lit. You need to get warmed up. You too, Wind,” The Old Man says as he tosses off his armor and starts making his way over to Warriors. 

“But I want to help Legend!” The sailor argues.

“No.”

“But—“

“You were in no way dressed for this weather, so you need to sit down and get warm! I don’t want to hear another word about it,” Time growls. Wind pouts, but does as he’s told. “Hyrule, give a blanket each to the two of them, and then bring the rest over here. The rest of us will just have to go without for the night. We need to get Legend warm.” 

“Give Legend mine,” Wind says, an angry frown on his young face. 

“_Wind_—“

“What? You won’t let me help so at least let me give him my blanket. I’m not even that cold, Time.”

It’s an obvious lie, Warriors can see the lad shivering even from the back of the cave. He knows the Old Man can too, but Time just rolls his one good eye and then motions for Hyrule to do as the boy requests. Warriors looks back down at his unconscious friend. There’s blood smeared around his temple from where the ice hit him, and his jaw is still red and scraped. Snow clings to his strawberry blond hair, so Warriors pulls off the boy’s blue cap and brushes it away. 

“Bring a linen cloth, too, Hyrule. I need to get him out of these wet clothes so we can dry him off.” He says as he starts removing Legend’s belt and magic bag. He even slides off the few rings and the strange bracelet his friend is always wearing, the metal so cold it stings a little when he touches it. A slight tremor runs through the objects as they’re moved. _Magic_, he thinks distractedly, before setting them to the side. 

Wild comes up and starts searching through the boy’s bag. “I’ll try and find him something else to wear.”

“Let’s hope the magic seal held on that thing and everything inside isn’t completely soaked.” Warriors scoffs. That’s happened to him before, once or twice. He thinks there isn’t anything more annoying then pulling yourself out of the water to find the magic on your pouch didn’t work and all your belongings are completely waterlogged. 

He watches Wild dig inside the drenched leather bag, nearly shoulder deep as he rummages through all the crap Legend has crammed in it. He gives a harsh tug and then a moment later is pulling a forest green tunic, and thank Hylia it’s a dry one, out from the mess within. The material looks a little thin, so Wild sets it to the side and reaches back in. There’s a few more moments of digging and annoyed mumbles as Wild pricks his finger on something sharp, then he pulls out another piece of clothing. This tunic is dark brown, and it’s made of the same thick wool as the olive one Legend always wears underneath his red layer. Wild hands them both over to Warriors. 

“I swear, the next village we go to, I am making him buy something warmer to wear besides all these _fucking_ tunics,” the captain growls as he sets the dry clothing up on a rock so it won’t accidentally get wet. He starts pulling off the boy’s boots, shaking his head as water drips out of them. Legend’s left foot is extremely cold, and the toes are beet red. He makes a mental note to wrap his friend’s feet in one of the blankets so he won’t end up with frostbite.

“Wild, don’t you have potions that warm you up? Shouldn’t we try to wake him so he can take one?” Twilight asks. The ranch hand is just standing there, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Whether it’s from the cold or his desire to be useful, Warriors isn’t sure. 

“No,” Time says as he helps the Captain sit their friend up so they can start removing the soaking wet tunics. “He’s been out in the cold too long. If we warm him up too fast, it could be bad for his heart.”

The others stop and stare at the foreboding words. Warriors isn’t worried though. Part of his training in the army had to do with surviving in extreme temperatures. After all, Hyrule was a vast land, and there was more to it than just sunny skies and grassy hills. 

Once they’ve stripped their friend of all his frigid layers, Hyrule steps forward to hand Warriors the linen cloth. He pats the younger boy dry, carefully avoiding his many wounds. Besides the injuries to his head and face, there are eight deep jagged scratches running down his chest from where the wolf attacked him. Worst of all, though, is the bite to his shin and calf. The puncture wounds are deep, and the skin has been ripped away from several of them. The bite is still bleeding profusely, so Warriors sets the now damp cloth to the side and looks around to ask someone to bring him bandages. 

Twilight is already there, arms full of bandaging cloth, linen rags, and red potions before the Captain even opens his mouth. Warriors blinks in surprise, but then smiles his thanks to the ranch hand. Twilight sets the medical supplies down just as Hyrule makes his way back over, arms laden with nearly a dozen blankets. The Traveler drops them behind Time and, noticing what Warriors is about to do, plops down on the ground and grabs some red potion and a cloth to start cleaning out the bite. Warriors starts on the scratch marks as Time drapes one of their heavy wool blankets over the boy’s hips to give their friend a little privacy in the crowded cave. They clean the wounds as quickly as possible, since they’re using red potion the skin starts to knit itself back together much faster than normal. Afterward, Warriors dabs at the scrapes along his chin and the wound on his head as Time and Hyrule wrap the cleaned injuries in bandages. 

Sky has managed to get the fire going during this time, so the cave is full of the crackling of wood and a soothing, encompassing heat. Twilight leaves to go sit with the two youngest heroes and Wild starts searching through his slate, tapping away at the screen, pulling out a deep cooking pot and a large bottle of milk. He sets the pot on the flames and pours the milk in, and then fiddles with the strange device again to retrieve some spices. Warriors watches each of his friends out of the corner of his eye, making sure that no one is secretly hiding an injury, like they were known to do on occasions when they thought one member of their ragtag group was more in need of attention. He doesn’t see anything suspicious, so he gives his full attention back to the boy lying beside him. 

Time has slipped the fresh change of clothes onto Legend and re-covered him with the blanket they’d had over his hips and is now layering the rest of them over him as well. Warriors remembers to grab one of the thicker ones to wrap around the boy's feet, and then he pulls his cloak out from his own bag and bunches it up like a pillow underneath his friend’s head. When he’s finally covered, they both settle back against the cave wall so they have a good view of each of the boys. 

Hyrule leaves to go sit with the others, mumbling as he goes, “let me know when he wakes up. I need to check and make sure he doesn’t have a concussion.”

Wild is handing out large cups of something steaming. When he notices the oldest members of their group have finished caring for the teenager, he grabs two wooden mugs and carries them over. He shoves them into their hands and says “it’s warm milk. Should help chase away some of that cold. I’ve got some over there for Legend too when he wakes up.”

“Thanks.” Warriors murmurs, taking a large gulp. A gentle heat spreads down his throat and pools into his stomach. The taste of cinnamon and chickaloo tree nuts linger on his tongue in a pleasant way and the sweetness of the milk almost makes him shiver. He grins at the long haired lad. “This is good.”

Wild smiles at the compliment, and then heads back to help Sky tend the fire and to start on dinner. Warriors sighs, and then reaches over to tug the blankets more securely around Legend’s shoulders. He settles back against the wall.

“Today was too close a call. We need to be more careful,” the Old Man whispers beside him. The Captain peers at him from the corner of his eye, suddenly too tired to even move his head. Time is staring into his untouched mug of warm milk, a deep frown on his exhausted face. “We could have lost him.”

Warriors squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn’t want to think about that, can’t think about that. Because out of all these boys, he knows Legend is the one he’s closest to, despite their constant arguments and insults to each other. And yes, he’s lost men before during the war, but that doesn't mean it hurts less to lose someone now. Especially someone who, deep down, he thinks of as a brother. When he saw Legend hit the water, heard his scream as he rolled down the ice, Warriors had felt his very soul get pierced by the cold, unforgiving hands of fear. He knows he'll never get the image of Legend desperately trying to save himself out of his mind. His pale eyes wide and pleading, the fingernails of one hand scraping across the broken ice as the other hand held fast to his sword, the blade the only thing keeping him from going under. Warriors doesn’t think he’s ever seen any of the heroes so scared before. If Wild hadn’t jumped to action....

“He’ll be fine,” Warriors says, more to distract himself than in response to Time. He takes another large gulp of his drink, focusing on the heat that is slowly spreading throughout his body than on the pale shaking boy barely a foot away. 

“I know he will...” the Old Man whispers, finally taking a long sip of his own milk. “I just... I want us to be more vigilant moving forward. We can’t let injuries like this become a habit. If we do, I know there will come a time where we won’t be so lucky.”

Warriors swallows around the lump now blocking his throat, trying not to let Time’s warning crawl too deep within his skin, where he knows it will fester until it becomes the stuff of tormenting nightmares. At least, not tonight. Not when he can still feel Legend’s sticky blood all over his tunic, and the exhaustion in his muscles from carrying the boy up the mountain, and especially not while his closest friend is lying just an arm’s reach away half frozen and unconscious with the only sign of life being the slow rising and falling of his chest. Tonight, all he wants is hope. Hope that the blizzard will pass, hope that no more monsters will find them, and hope that his brother will wake soon. 

The smell of something spicy and meaty fills the air, along with the sound of gentle humming. Warriors looks over to the rest of the group huddled by the fire. No one is speaking, they’re just staring into their mugs or at the cave wall. Everyone except Wild, who at some point had pulled out another cooking pot and was letting something heavy and delicious bubble on the fire. He’s adding more of what looks like sliced bright red peppers to the dish, and Warriors feels his stomach twist tightly in hunger and anticipation.

It takes a few more minutes for their dinner to finish cooking. When it’s done, Wild gives every hero a large, steaming portion. He brings Time’s and Warriors’s over to them. The older men thank him, immediately digging into the thick, chunky stew. Warriors relaxes as the heat from the peppers spreads from his mouth, down his throat, into his stomach, and then to every other part of his body. He’s left feeling flushed with an amazing warmth. 

They eat their dinner, the occasional hushed conversation drifting across the air. Warriors knows the others are as tired as he is from the day’s events. Wind’s eyes are drooping, and it looks like he could lose his grip on his bowl any second. Twilight seems to realize this, because the ranch hand takes the wooden dish away from the lad and gently convinces him to lie down. Wind looks like he wants to argue, he hates it when the others baby him too much, but a huge yawn stretches across his face before any complaints can leave his lips. He gives a sheepish look to the other boys, and then does as he’s told. Twilight lets him curl into his side for warmth. Wind is fast asleep not even five minutes later. 

The other heroes drift off one by one, and soon the cave is full of the sounds of gentle breaths and soft snores. Time leaves Warriors by the wall so he can keep the fire going throughout the night. Warriors removes his armor and gloves and tosses them to the side. He pulls off his scarf and tunic, grimacing when he sees all the blood smeared across them. It’ll take forever to get the stains out, especially since they’re no where near a body of water he can wash it in, because he certainly isn’t going to try doing so in the frozen lake. It’ll have to sit like this for the next day or two. He places the clothing with Legend’s ruined tunics and then shrugs out of his chain mail and kicks off his boots. 

Now that he’s more comfortable, Warriors slides away from the wall and lays down beside Legend. He knows the blankets will help the boy stay warm, but from his training in the army he knows sharing body heat is effective as well. He rests on his side, one arm pillowing his head and the other wrapped across his friend’s chest. He knows the other reason he wants to lie beside the boy is because he wants to make sure he can hear when he wakes up. Hyrule was right, they need to check and make sure he doesn’t have a concussion. Also, a cold panic has been creeping at the edges of Warriors’s mind ever since Legend was knocked out, grasping at him at every opportunity, trying to pull him under. He knows nothing will chase it away except for the sight of pale blue eyes glaring at him and the sound of a rude comment being thrown his way. 

He drifts off, not quite asleep but not awake either. It’s something he perfected during the war. He gets the rest his body needs, but any noise or movement will have him wide awake and ready to protect himself and his allies. It’s because of this, later in the night, he feels the slight shifting of the body beneath his arm and hears the sound of a rough cough leaving someone’s lips. 

“Wha...” Legend groans, fighting to free himself from the pile of blankets. 

“Hey, don’t do that. You need to stay warm.” Warriors chides as he leans up on his arms to look down at his friend’s face. 

Legend squints up at him with tired, dull eyes. He’s still pale and shivering, but Warriors is glad he’s at least finally conscious. “Where... are we?”

“That cave Twi’ mentioned earlier. How’s your head?”

Legend just stares at him blankly for a moment, before trying to shove the blankets off again. 

“Whoa whoa, stop that.” He pulls the blankets out of his friend’s hands and back up over his shoulders, tucking them in tight. “Why do you keep doing that? I told you, you need to stay warm.”

“I don’t... what cave? What happened?”

Warriors stills and studies the boy beside him. Legend seems to be having trouble focusing on him, his eyes are roving around the dimly lit cave but they never quite land on anything, and he’s scowling like he’s in pain. Warriors lets out a sigh and then slowly gets to his feet. “Dammit, I think you do have a concussion. I’ll go get Hyrule. _Don’t_ take the covers off while I’m gone.”

He walks over to the Traveler, who is lying close to the flickering flames of their campfire. Time looks up at him, face heavy with exhaustion. “Is he awake?”

“Yea, but I’m pretty sure he has a concussion.”

Time stares worriedly over at the boy at the back of the cave. Warriors leans down to shake Hyrule awake. The brunet blinks up at him, hooded eyes nearly shutting again as he clings to sleep. The Captain gives him another rough shake, trying to rouse him. 

“Hey, you told me to get you when Legend wakes up.”

Hyrule rubs a hand over his face, a sleepy yawn stretching across his cheeks, and then pushes himself up into a seated position. “Does he have a—“

“Pretty sure he does. He’s confused and he can’t seem to keep focus. I think he might be in pain too.” Warriors offers a hand to pull the younger boy to his feet. Hyrule pulls a bottle of red potion from his bag as they start to walk back towards Legend. 

“I’ll warm up that milk Wild made him and bring it over.” Time gently calls. Warriors looks back and gives him a grateful smile. 

Legend has thankfully listened to his friend and kept the covers on. He’s staring up at the ceiling of the cave, eyes squinted in confusion and what Warriors assumes is a horrible headache. The brunet kneels down beside him, uncorking the bottle and setting it to the side so he can examine their friend. 

“Hey Legend, can you hear me?” Hyrule whispers.

The boy on the ground glances over in their direction, giving a grunt of acknowledgment. Warriors thinks he's trying to look at him. The teen slurs, “Where'd... you go?”

“To get Hyrule, remember?” Warriors answers, pointing at the brunet next to him. Hyrule gives the injured boy a small smile.

“Do you know where you are?” the Traveler asks, “Can you tell me what Hyrule we’re in?”

Legend blinks slowly, face scrunched up in thought. “Um... cave?”

“Yes...”

“Um... I-I don’t...” He lets out a frustrated breath and starts fidgeting underneath the blankets again, gaze flickering around the corners of their camp. Warriors places a hand on Legend’s chest to still him. 

“That’s okay,” Hyrule says gently. He turns to Warriors. “I think you’re right. Looks like his memory is affected, but that may be because he just woke up, also he seems to be having trouble focusing. I can’t say for sure if he has a concussion, but it’s pretty likely. We should go ahead and have him drink the red potion to be safe.”

Warriors nods, and then he and Hyrule lift the injured boy up so they can help tip the medicine into his mouth. Legend splutters a little; Warriors knows his friend absolutely hates the taste of potions. As he finishes the last few sips, Time brings over the mug of milk and a small bowl of the stew they had for dinner. Hyrule takes them from him, and smiles up at their leader. 

“Why don’t you go ahead and get some rest, Time. I’ll take over watch.”

The older man shakes his head. “I appreciate that, Hyrule, but I’m fine.”

“Nuh uh! You’re exhausted, I can tell. Grab a couple hours sleep. I’ll keep an eye on things. Doctors orders!”

“You’re not a doctor, Hyrule,” Time chuckles softly. 

“I’m pretty much the doctor of our little group here. I’m the one with healing magic and the most knowledge of injuries and how to patch them—“

“That’s because you get hurt almost as much as Wild,” Warriors teases as he moves to sit behind Legend. Hyrule scowls at him. Warriors shoots him a halfhearted smile as he leans Legend up against him to rest as he helps him drink. 

“_Anyway_, I’ve got this. Please go get some sleep.”

Time looks like he’s going to say no again, but he pauses and looks over the three boys situated on the ground. Hyrule is staring at him hard, willing him to listen. Warriors is fussing at Legend as the confused boy keeps trying to take the mug of warm milk from him, spilling it over their fingers and onto his blankets. Time sighs and nods. 

“Alright. I trust you’ll wake me if anything happens?”

“Of course.” 

Time leaves them to finally find a spot to lie by the fire. Hyrule watches him to make sure he does in fact try and get some sleep, and then he turns back to help Warriors. Hyrule feeds spoonfuls of the thick broth to their friend in between the sips of milk. The red potion they gave him has started to work its magic. Legend’s eyes are becoming more focused and, although he’s still grimacing in pain, it’s not as bad as before. His skin is still cold too, and the occasional shiver racks it’s way through him. When he’s eaten as much as he can, Warriors hears him mutter something about feeling nauseous, Hyrule takes both the bowl and empty mug and heads back over to the fire to guard the entrance to their camp. Warriors helps his friend lie back down, pulling the blankets back up over his shoulders and tucking them in tight. 

He’s just sliding back into his position beside Legend when he hears a quiet voice ask, “what happened?”

Warriors rests his head on his arm and looks into the eyes of his friend. They’re clear, but tired. “What do you remember last?”

Legend thinks for a moment, his eyes drifting around their shelter. “I... I remember walking through the snow, and I remember us trying to get to Zora’s Domain... and I remember being cold.”

“Do you remember the lake?”

The younger boy opens his mouth to answer, and by his face Warriors assumes his response will be no, but then something passes over his eyes. Whatever it is, a memory or a feeling, it makes the lad’s face crumple into a frightened frown and his shivers start to return full force. Warriors scoots closer, one arm wrapped tightly across Legend’s chest. 

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

“I-I was so c-cold. Why was I so cold? And I c-couldn’t b-breathe. Was I drowning? Did I _drown_?”

“No, no, no, you fell in the lake. You didn’t go under or anything, but I heard Wild say you were going into shock. That’s why you couldn’t breathe. You were holding your breath and didn’t even realize it. But he got you out and we brought you here to get warm. You’re safe now, promise.”

Legend takes a few hiccuping breathes, bringing a hand up from his mass of covers to wipe at his eyes. Warriors hadn’t realized his friend was crying. It isn’t something he’s ever seen the boy do, since he’s more likely to mask his feelings with cutting insults and bursts of anger. He gives Legend time to collect himself, taking a few moments to peer at the others by the fire. Time has finally fallen asleep, back pressed against the wall and head lolling to the side. Twilight, Wild, and Wind are piled together like a basket of puppies, limbs tangled and shoved in each other’s faces. Four is wrapped in Wild’s cloak and his blanket, curled into Sky, whose snores are almost louder than the crackling logs of the fire. Hyrule is seated by the entrance, twirling his flute in his hands, eyes pinned to the darkness outside. 

“Sorry,” Legend finally mumbles when he’s done collecting himself. 

“About what?” Warriors ask, looking back at the boy. Legend just pins him with a halfhearted glare. “Oh, getting emotional? You don’t have to apologize for that. You have a concussion. Red potions might speed up the healing process, but they don’t get rid of all the symptoms. So you’re gonna be feeling the effects of that concussion for a couple days at least, and sudden mood changes can be a part of that.”

“Still doesn’t mean it’s not embarrassing,” the teenager scoffs. He fidgets under the blankets. “Can I take these off? It’s stuffy under here. And why are you laying on me?”

Warriors rolls his eyes. “No, you cannot take them off. Not only did you almost have frostbite on your foot, but you were practically half frozen since it took us so long to find this damn place. And I’m laying on you to keep you warm.”

“Well, get off!”

“_No_, we’re sharing body heat so you don’t get sick. Stop being a brat about it.”

“I am not being a brat!”

“Are too.” Warriors sees Legend open his mouth to continue arguing, so he covers it with the hand currently stretched across the lad’s chest. 

Legend pins him with another glare, and then licks the hand keeping him quiet. 

Warriors nearly shrieks in disgust. He wipes his palm on one of the blankets and growls at Legend. “Want to tell me again how you’re not acting like a brat?”

Legend lets out a huff of laughter, wincing a little from his headache. His gaze moves from the Captain to the ceiling of the cave. He falls silent. Warriors can see the boy is contemplating something, so he waits patiently for his friend to find his words. When he’s ready, Legend looks at him with an expression so open, it makes Warriors a bit uncomfortable. “Thank you... for taking care of me. Sorry if I worried you guys.”

“Oh...” Warriors swallows, surprised because Legend has never been the type to thank anyone for anything. They know he appreciates the things they do for him, but he shows it rather than saying it, with simple gestures or his rare smiles. “You’re welcome, but you don’t have to say thanks—“

“No, I do. I’m sure you were going crazy trying to get me to safety. I... just want you to know how grateful I am.”

Warriors smiles at the younger boy and reaches up to playfully ruffle his hair. Legend smacks his hand away. “Well, again, you’re welcome. I’d do anything for you idiots, especially if it means keeping you out of harm’s way.”

“Mother hen,” the teen teases. 

“Better get used to it. I’m gonna be around for a long time.”

Legend smiles a smile that has the Captain’s heart breaking just a little bit. It’s sad and wistful and he knows nobody has a smile like that without a story to go behind it. The lad mumbles, “wouldn’t it be nice if that was true.”

Warriors wants to ask what he means by that, but Legend’s eyes are already starting to drift shut. He knows his friend is probably still exhausted from the tole taken on his body today, so he decides to let the comment slide, at least for now. He’ll bring it up again later, when they’re off this mountain and finally somewhere safe and warm. The Captain closes his eyes too, and is slowly lulled to sleep by the even breaths of his brother beside him. 

***

It’s midday by the time their leader declares it safe enough to leave the cave. Time wants to make sure there are no signs of oncoming blizzards, not just because he worries about them getting surprised by monsters again during a storm, but because he’s concerned about Legend being out in the cold so quickly after nearly freezing. The sun is high in the sky, the light from it makes the snow on the ground twinkle like countless diamonds. They debate on digging a path down the mountain. The snow that had fallen throughout the night has left the terrain nearly impossible to travel without one, but several members of their group complain about the time and energy they’ll waste. Sky is the most opposed to it, and Warriors can’t really blame him. The boy may be quick with a blade, but his stamina is terrible. The thought of spending an entire day shoveling heavy snow must sound like torture to the sleepy fellow. 

They’re still arguing when the distinct sound of something huge making its way towards them echos across the chilly air. They draw their swords at the heavy footsteps, except for Legend, who is shoved behind Warriors and Wild. The boy harrumphs at their over-protectiveness, but stays put in the safety of the dark cave. In the near distance they see a huge beast with fur as white as the snow surrounding them lumbering down the mountainside, easily cutting a path through the deep slush. 

“The hell is that thing?” Hyrule asks.

“I think it’s...” Twilight mumbles, before his face breaks out in a huge grin, “Yeto! Hey, Yeto! Over here!”

They stare flabbergasted as the ranch hand waves his arms to catch the beast-man’s attention. Yeto looks over at the sound of his name and lets out a happy roar when he spots their group. “Link, uh! You come back to snows!”

The large creature stomps his way over to them as Time leans down to whisper in his protege’s ear. “Is that a yeti?”

“Sure is. His name’s Yeto. Don’t worry, he’s real friendly.”

Yeto reaches them in a matter of moments. Warriors can’t help but stare up wide eyed at the beast. His large yellow eyes take in the group of heroes, an unmistakable grin stretched across his furry face. A large round bushy tail, easily the size of a boulder, swings lazily back and forth behind him. 

“Hi Yeto! What brings you down the mountain?” Twilight asks. 

“Yeto come to get fish from Zora’s Domain, uh. Why Link in cave with other humans?”

“Well, it’s sort of a long story, but basically we’re trying to get to Zora’s Domain too, but the path has caved in. So, we’re kind of stuck here until we can clear it.”

The beast-man gives an excited roar. “Yeto can help clear path! As long as Link promise to come back to snows soon to sled! Yeto wife is wanting rematch, uh.”

“The yeti has a fucking _wife_?” Legend whispers incredulously. Warriors snorts in laughter, bringing a hand up quickly to cover his mouth in case any more laughs try to escape. Four turns around and pins them both with a glare, the message for them to _stop being rude_ written plain as day on his face. 

“I’d be happy to come back as soon as I’m able. Thank you so much for the help, Yeto.” Twilight says. “Let me introduce you to everyone.”

He fires off everyone’s nickname as he points each boy out to the yeti. Yeto waves happily, excited to be meeting new people. When the ranch hand gets to Four, the beast-man lets out a surprised noise. “You are very tiny human! Smallest Yeto ever seen, uh!”

Four’s mouth pops open in shock, at a loss for how to respond. Warriors has to bite down on his lip to keep from bursting out laughing. He feels Legend hide himself behind his back, face pressed against the Captain’s shoulder blade, body shaking with mirth. Even Twilight’s lips are twitching as he fights off a smile. He clears his throat to bring the Yeti’s attention back to him.

“So... uh, that’s everyone. How about we head out now?” 

They follow their new friend down the side of the mountain. Now that a blizzard isn’t raging around them, Warriors can appreciate the view. The few evergreens that dot the area are sparkling brightly in the daylight, their branches dipping low from the mounds of snow they carry. The air is crisp and clean, and as they walk their breath drifts up and away in a heavy mist like steam leaving a teapot. They can see clear down the mountainside and across the hills, the forests and rolling fields of Twilight’s Hyrule a serene backdrop to their journey. The sky is the richest blue any of the heroes has ever seen, as if Nayru herself has combined every shade in the world to craft one so deep and mesmerizing it’s hard to pull your eyes away. 

Yeto leads the group, using his bulk to easily plow through the four foot deep snow. In a matter of minutes they are back at the bottom of the mountain and headed towards the lake. The light of the sun is dancing across its surface in shimmering waves, masking how dangerous this body of water truly is. Warriors can see his friend tense a little at the sight of it, so he swings his arm up over Legend’s shoulders and pulls him close. The boy allows it, which is shocking, but he does roll his eyes at the Captain. Warriors starts pulling at the high neck of the boys green tunic, trying to tease him into ignoring his hesitations about the icy water in front of them. Legend smacks his hand away with a glare. He knows his friend is still mad about the state of his red tunic, as he’d been mumbling complaints all morning about how long it will take to fix. Warriors keeps fussing with him as they near the lake’s edge, until the lad is red in the face from frustration and Time has to bark at the Captain to behave. 

“Wait!” Wild calls as they all prepare to start jumping over. “I still have to find Legend’s sword and shield.”

Legend pushes away from Warriors, the Captain can’t help but laugh as the teen knocks harshly into his side, and approaches the Champion. “You know where they are? How exactly... are you gonna get them back?”

“With this!” Wild holds up his slate to show Legend the screen. The only thing on it is a red horseshoe shape tilted diagonally. Legend lifts an eyebrow at his friend. Wilds laughs quietly at the confused expression. “It’s my magnesis rune. It works like a magnet.”

Six pairs of eyes stare blankly at the long haired hero, but Four and Legend’s faces light up in recognition. Yeto leaves them to talk about the strange device in the boy’s hand, and instead starts digging out a place for them to jump across. 

“What’s a magnet?” Wind finally asks. 

Wild tilts his head to the side as he thinks of the best way to describe this power to his friends. “So a magnet is something metal that attracts other metal stuff to it. Like a shield, for example.”

“So this is going to get my shield out of the lake?” Legend wonders, looking closely at the screen. 

“Yep. As long as I’m close enough to grab it with the magnet, it’ll pull it right to us.”

“I wanna try!” Wind says, jumping up and down. 

“No, we need to let Wild do it. I don’t want us spending any more time on this mountain than we have to.” Time says, placing a hand on the youngest’s shoulder to calm him. Wind groans in disappointment, but doesn’t press the issue. 

“I’ll let you try it later, when we’re somewhere safer. Okay?” Wild appeases. The sailor gives him a wide, thankful grin. 

“But what about my sword?” Legend asks, bringing the Champion’s attention back to the matter at hand. 

“Well, it should still be stuck in the ice, shouldn’t it?” Wild says looking out towards the lake. 

“The ice...?” Legend mumbles, face scrunched up in confusion. His friends look at the strawberry blond in bewilderment and Warriors suddenly realizes that if Legend doesn’t exactly remember falling into the lake, he certainly doesn’t remember how he used his sword to stop from going completely under. 

He steps forward to clap his friend on the shoulder and says gently, “I remember where it happened so I’ll help Wild grab it.”

Legend looks at him, face open just enough that Warriors can see how grateful he is. He nods to Wild, and the two of them head out onto the ice. It doesn’t take long to retrieve Legend’s sword from the broken platform he’d thrust it into. The shield, on the other hand, took nearly an hour. Wild’s magnesis rune casts a reddish light all around the area he looks. He explains to Warriors that if it spots anything metal, that object will appear in a solid red color on the “grid” and when he’s close enough to grab it, it will turn yellow. Warriors likes to think he’s pretty smart, or at least he’s great at planning out strategies and battle plans, but the description of this Sheikah magic leaves his head spinning. 

“It’s _science_,” Wild chides. Warriors just rolls his eyes and keeps looking. 

They finally spot the shield and thankfully it isn’t in too deep a part of the lake. Wild still has to hang precariously over the edge of one of the platforms, which Warriors knows does not only give him heart palpitations, but their leader as well. Time is standing at attention on the lake shore, his gaze glued to the Champion as Wild lays on his stomach to dangle over the ice. The young boy leans over, nearly touching the freezing water, trying to get a lock on Legend’s belonging. He lets out a triumphant “Aha!” when he finally grabs it and starts to pull it closer to them. Warriors grabs Wild by the back of his tunic and slides him to a safer position on the ice as his friend reels in the shield. 

The metal object floats magically out of the water, (“it’s not magic, Warriors. I told you, it’s _magnets_,” huffs Wild), and over to the boy holding the slate. He lets it fall onto the platform in front of him. The smooth reflective front is facing up at them, casting their faces in a golden hue as they look upon it. There doesn’t seem to be any damage, thank Hylia, because they would never hear the end of Legend’s complaining had anything happened to their friend’s very rare shield. Warriors picks it up, wincing as the freezing metal burns his hands even through his gloves. Once it’s securely stuffed into his magic bag, the two boys carefully jump back over to the snowbank their friends are waiting at.

“Give it,” Legend demands as soon as Warriors's feet hit stable ground. 

“How about a ‘thank you’?” Twilight admonishes the teenager. 

Legend rolls his eyes, but grumbles a thanks to both of them. He holds out his hands for his stuff. Warriors passes over the blade, which Legend quickly slides into its sheath on his back, but he refuses to hand over the shield. “Just use you spare one for now. This thing is frozen solid and you were nearly hypothermic not even twenty four hours ago. I don’t want you holding it right now.”

Legend glares, face tinging red again, and opens his mouth—

“Smart thinking,” Time says, effectively cutting off any arguments Legend was about to shout at the Captain. “We don’t want to risk you getting sick.”

Warriors almost laughs when his friend starts grumbling at them under his breath as he pulls the heavily decorated blue shield he never uses out of his bag. Legend straps it on as well and then the group turns to all follow Yeto back across the ice. Warriors can tell the lad is nervous. While he doesn’t remember falling into the water and being struck in the head, Legend does remember the cold, and the Captain is sure the boy’s instincts are screaming at him to stay away from the lake. Everyone takes their time crossing, each hero keeping one eye on the strawberry blond. Warriors and Wild cross with Legend, the Champion in the front, and the Captain bringing up the rear. Their friend is shaking by the time they make it to the other side, gaze turning watery, so Warriors traps him under a friendly arm again, pulling the boy close. Legend squeezes his eyes shut, obviously trying to will the unusual overwhelming feelings of anxiety away. 

“Give it a few days,” Warriors whispers, “remember what I said about the symptoms sticking around?”

Legend nods and then shrugs gently out of the Captain’s grasp. He mumbles a quiet, “thanks.”

They follow the group back up the hill to the blocked path. Yeto and the heroes start clearing away the rubble, all except for Warriors and Legend, the latter Time orders to take it easy and the former he asks to keep an eye out for monsters. The Captain knows their leader isn’t only worried about being ambushed again. Time’s warning from last night crawls from the dark corner of his mind it was buried in. _We could have lost him._

He goes to stand beside Legend, who looks a little miffed at being told to rest. “Hey, how’s your head?”

“Hurts still, but I’ll live,” the boy sighs. 

“Hmm,” Warriors thinks over his words. He was planning on doing this later, but they have privacy now so, why not? “What did you mean when you said ‘wouldn’t it be nice if that were true?’”

“What?”

“C’mon, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Why’d you say it?”

Legend exhales and turns his head towards the sky. He closes his eyes, but not before Warriors sees a miserable cloud darkening his gaze. “Because... you said you were going to be around for a long time. It’s a nice thought, but it’s not true. Eventually, we’ll all be returning to our own times and you’ll have to leave.”

“I’m not—“

“Yes, you are. One day, we’re gonna wake up and find ourselves back in our own homes, alone. Everyone leaves at some point. It’s just the way of the world.” Legend’s voice breaks over the word “everyone” and Warriors has a sneaking suspicion this is not just about him and the others. He claps the younger boy on the shoulder to bring his focus to him. 

“No, it’s not. But, you’re right, eventually we’ll find the person causing all this trouble and we’ll beat them. I have no doubt about that. But if there’s one thing I learned from the war I fought in, it’s that no matter the distance, you’re friends are still there for you. Even if you’re separated across time.”

Legend scoffs. “How?”

“Because you carry them with you. I made a lot of friends during the war, and most of them I’ll probably never see again, but I know they’re always thinking of me. Just like I am of them.”

“Doesn’t that... hurt? Constantly thinking about people who are gone?”

“Sometimes,” Warriors look to their friends. The path was mostly clear now, Yeto was quickly smashing through most of the rubble. “A lot of the time, actually. But, sometimes it helps too. It’s nice knowing there are people out there always rooting for me.”

“I... don’t know if I can do that.”

“Maybe not right now, but give it some time. The hurt won’t disappear completely, but one day you’ll be able to look back on this little adventure of ours and think about all the good times we shared together.”

“Like what? I can only think of all the times you’ve annoyed me.”

Warriors laughs, a deep belly laugh that echoes in the chilly air and makes some of their team turn to stare at them. “Well, those have been good times for me!”

Legend rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling again, one of his rare smiles that lights up his eyes and erases all traces of the hardships he’s suffered from his youthful face. He nudges the Captain with his shoulder. Warriors returns the smile and the gesture. 

“So,” the younger boy says, “you’ll be rooting for me?”

Warriors looks at his friend, his best friend, his _brother._ “Always.”

They hear a medley of joyful shouts, and turn to see the last bit of rock crumble away. The path is clear. The others motion for the two friends to join them, and together with Yeto the nine heroes make their way into Zora’s Domain. As they walk down the tunnel, Warriors thinks over his conversation with Legend. He knows his friend is secretive, knows he’s faced many trials during his time as hero, but he still can’t help but wonder what happened to make the boy so pessimistic. Warriors has the impression he wasn’t always like that, from the way his face can become so open and the smiles he has that are brighter than the sun. It seems like at some point his friend was probably really... _kind._

He shakes off the thought as Wind lets out an excited shout. They’re coming up to the exit that will take them into the Domain. Warriors can hear the roaring sound of waterfalls. He glances at Legend. He’ll figure it out later, he supposes, he knows he has time. Until then, he’ll just keep being there for his friend, for all of them.


End file.
